Your plan in four answers
Wolfgangseelauf has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- 27K, Marathon, 10K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- Nearly 7,000 participants from 58 nations in 2025, a record; the 27 km Klassiker is capped at 2,500
Course
The Wolfgangseelauf course
The 27 km Klassiker, the race's headline since 1972, starts and finishes in St. Wolfgang, with the finish about 100 m from the Weisses Rössl, and makes a full lap of the Wolfgangsee through Fürberg (km 6.3), St.
Read the full course notes
Gilgen (km 9.2), Gschwendt (km 17) and Strobl (km 21.5). Total climbing is 295 m, and most of it comes early: the Falkensteinsattel between km 3 and km 6 climbs about 220 m and drops the same again within three kilometres, past the Falkensteinkirche on an old pilgrims' path between rock face and lake. After St. Gilgen the route follows varied lakeside paths and roads through two federal states, Upper Austria and Salzburg. The Salzkammergut Marathon (+417 m) starts in front of the Trinkhalle in Bad Ischl at 9:15, joins the Klassiker route near Gasthof Bürglstein around km 12 and meets the Falkenstein between km 18 and 21. The 10 km Uferlauf runs from the boat station at Gschwendt through Strobl to St. Wolfgang on mostly flat shoreline (+34 m) and is AIMS-measured.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 27K, Marathon, 10K
- Field
- Nearly 7,000 participants from 58 nations in 2025, a record; the 27 km Klassiker is capped at 2,500
- Weather on race day
- Mid-October around the Wolfgangsee usually brings 7–15 °C, with cool mornings and the Klassiker starting at 10:30 as the valley warms. October is fairly wet here (about 100 mm of rain in the month), so pack a light shell and expect damp paths in places. Dress for the Falkenstein descent too, where you cool down quickly after the climb.
What to train for
The Falkenstein decides your day, so train climbs of 2 to 3 km with 150 to 220 m of gain, hiking the steepest parts if that is faster, and pair them with relaxed descents, because the drop off the saddle comes straight after the top.
Run hill repeats of 4 to 6 × 3 to 4 minutes once a week, and build long runs to 20 to 24 km (marathoners up to 32 km) on varied paths so your legs are ready for the flatter kilometres after the climb.
Start the first 3 km easier than goal pace to reach the climb fresh, and practise eating early, since the hardest part comes before km 6 on the Klassiker and near halfway on the marathon.
Sample week
A sample Wolfgangseelauf training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Wolfgangseelauf
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
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Build me a training plan for the Int. Wolfgangseelauf (27K) in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Wolfgangseelauf training questions
How long should I train for the Wolfgangseelauf?
Most runners give a 27k twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Wolfgangseelauf course hilly?
Hilly. The 27 km Klassiker, the race's headline since 1972, starts and finishes in St.
What is the weather usually like at the Wolfgangseelauf?
Mid-October around the Wolfgangsee usually brings 7–15 °C, with cool mornings and the Klassiker starting at 10:30 as the valley warms. October is fairly wet here (about 100 mm of rain in the month), so pack a light shell and expect damp paths in places. Dress for the Falkenstein descent too, where you cool down quickly after the climb.
When should I start tapering for the Wolfgangseelauf?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar.
Do I need an account to get a Wolfgangseelauf training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.